Load carrying vehicles, such as trucks, often have fold-down tailgates. Folded down, the tailgates extend the area of the truck bed. Folded up, the tailgates close off the truck bed. It is known to provide tailgates with restraining devices for controlling lowering of the tailgates. As one example, cables may be provided to limit rotation of the tailgates thereby setting the lowered position of the tailgates at horizontal. The cables may be attached to the tailgates at one end and attached to sidewalls of the truck body at opposite ends.
Some trucks have rear mounted video cameras to provide an image at a rear of the truck. However, the rear mounted cameras that are mounted to the tailgate, rotate with the tailgate between the raised and lowered configurations. This repositioning of the video camera can change the optical axis of the camera from pointing rearward, beyond the tailgate with the tailgate in the raised position to underneath and even forward of the tailgate with the tailgate in the lowered position.
Accordingly, a need exists for vehicle video systems that can provide a suitable rear view behind the vehicles with a tailgate in both raised and lowered positions.